Scanning and Photography services

Fisgard Lighthouse by Melanie Willing

The first step in creating a reproduction is to create a digital file of your original work of art that can then be perfected to create a beautiful print.

There are two options for getting your initial file - scanning and capture. Whether you are reproducing a very large painting or need some slides scanned for your website, we can meet your specific needs.

Learn more about our colour calibration and image enhancement services

Art Ink Print, Victoria, BC Scanning of original artwork for reproduction

What is Scanning?

A scanner is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. A flatbed scanner is usually composed of a pane of glass under which there is a bright light which illuminates the pane, and a moving optical array which records the image as a digital file.

Scanning provides very high resolution images (up to 6400 dpi). There is no need to focus a scanner, as the scanner sensor passes about 1 inch away from your work of art, and the entire image is always in focus. Colour calibration is also tightly controlled due to the consistent lighting conditions. We can scan just about any size image too!

Scanning is best for works of art that are matte or low gloss, such as watercolour, pastel, charcoal, pencil, crayon, wax, oil sticks, line art, etc. Some extremely large works of art may be too large to be scanned.

Flatbed Scanning:
We offer scanning in a range of qualities, depending on the file size needed: Giclee, press prints, or website images are scanned. Our Epson Expression 10000XL scanner offers everything professional photographers and graphic artists require for high-quality scanning.

  • 2400 dpi optical resolution
  • up to 12,800 dpi with software enhancement
  • 3.8 Dmax and 48-bit color, a broad dynamic range with excellent shadow detail.
  • Epson’s exclusive ColorTrue® II Imaging System, which combines superior image processing, a Xenon lamp and Epson MatrixCCD™ technology for enhanced colours and pinpoint registration
  • AutoFocus optics system captures clear, precise images
Art Ink Print Photography and Capture Services

What is Capture?

By capture we mean digital photography of your artwork. With our professional service lighting conditions are closely controlled to give an even and ideal light. Distortion that may appear when you shoot your own work is eliminated. All shots have a colour tag for ease of adjustment. Our equipment will give you large, high quality files that are ready for adjustment.

Capture is for works of art that are glossy or have a 3D element. When capturing large paintings with varnish or shiny material, the lighting is polarized to drastically reduce reflection and thus the burn-out of highlights.

Resolution ranges from 260 dpi to 360 dpi at 100%, much lower than scanning, but well within the optimum resolution for 100% reproductions. We have finely tuned our system and profiles to get stunning results, over and over.

We do recommend that you bring your paintings in for capture before you varnish them, so that there is less glare to contend with in the photography process.


Large Scale Capture: For oils or varnished acylic paintings, no matter how large, we can get great detail and colour accuracy. Very large paintings can be photographed in sections, and then digitally (and seamlessly) stitched together. This process captures all of the detail needed for a full size, and even oversized reproduction. We can also take a single shot of larger works if you don’t need to have a full size digital image. Bring in several paintings at once for an hourly rate.

Small Press Work Capture: If you are looking for a more economical option we also provide single shot, lower resolution capture services that are perfect for turning your images into greeting cards.

Fill out our easy-to-use form for a pricing guide to digitizing your artwork!

Pricing to be confirmed by an Art Ink team member when reviewing your original artwork, some finishes or surfaces require more care and attention. Includes having image files cleaned, colour corrected and permanently archived in our database. Unlike many print shops, we offer our clients copies of full scale files and also smaller ‘web ready’ images as part of our service.